At North Hollywood parish that Cardinal Roger Mahony calls home, Catholics react to his rebuke over sex abuse scandal

NORTH HOLLYWOOD -- He had gone to school there. Launched his rise to cardinal there. And after a lingering clergy sex abuse scandal, retired to live there.

So parishioners at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church expressed both pain and hope early Friday after retired Cardinal Roger Mahony was publicly rebuked by his successor.

"It's OK, so far. It's all good," said Josephine Leong, 67, of Studio City, after a 7:30 a.m. Mass at the North Hollywood parish. "He's retired anyway, so it doesn't matter.

"I hope everything will be healed by the grace of God."

The release last week of personnel files from the Los Angeles Archdiocese had already revealed that Mahony and a top aide had conspired decades ago to shield 14 pedophile priests from the law.

But then some 12,000 more church documents released Thursday under court order provided details about scores of additional offenders.

And Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, head of the largest Catholic jurisdiction in the nation, issued the surprise announcement that he'd relieved Mahony of his administrative and public duties.

Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Curry, who had served as the cardinal's vicar of clergy and point person on sex abuse cases, also resigned as regional bishop of Santa Barbara.

Tod Tamberg, a spokesman for the archdiocese, said Mahony had actually had no admininstrative duties since he retired as archbishop in 2011, when he turned 75.

He said he had no details of Mahony's public duties, but noted that the cardinal has been giving guest lectures on immigration reform and the future of the Catholic Church.

Mahony had been scheduled to speak late this month at a Religious Education Congress in Anaheim, but will no longer appear at its podium.

"I'm glad," said Kenneth Fisher, of Concerned Roman Catholics of America, an Anaheim-based group advocating for traditional Catholicism. "To have him up there as a speaker, when he was involved in so much evil, would contradict with the teachings of the Catholic Church."

A spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office said prosecutors would continue reviewing files, a project they began last week after the initial release of documents by a plaintiff's attorney, Anthony DeMarco.

Mahony, installed as archbishop in 1985, retired two years ago at age 75 hoping to dedicate himself to immigration reform.

His legacy of social justice has been overshadowed by a record $660 million payout to settle claims by more than 500 parishioners that they had been sexually abused by clergy.

The files released Thursday, unredacted for church administrators, were the final piece of the landmark 2007 settlement.

In all, the archdiocese released the personnel papers of 124 priests at clergyfiles.la-archdiocese.org. Of those, 82 contained allegations of child sexual abuse.

They contain letters among top church officials, accused priests and archdiocese attorneys, complaints from parents, medical and psychological records and - in some cases - correspondence with the Vatican.

While promising to release its files, the archdiocese had fought for years to withhold the names of church leaders.

Gomez, who reports directly to the pope, was able to take action against Mahony after the cardinal's retirement, say church legal experts.

The Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit and senior fellow at Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University, said it was "unprecedented" for a cardinal -- considered a Prince of the Church -- to be publicly censured.

"This is very unusual," Reese said. "The is the first time that an archbishop had limited the ministry of his predecessor like this and has publicly acknowledged that his predecessor did a bad job."

For years, he said Mahony has been apologizing for his failures in dealing with abusive priests. Now the papers being made public confirm them.

"It appears to me that Mahony was doing the same things that other bishops were doing at that time," Reese added. "He became a bishop at a young age, and the others who were doing at the same time were all in their late 60s and early 70s. They're all gone."

Terry McKiernan, president of the Massachusetts-based bishopaccountablity.org, said he believed Gomez' actions against Mahony were more symbolic than punitive.

"They really thought this through, McKiernan said. "My feeling is they didn't want Mahony to be humiliated or to take a hit.

"It was the best way, really, that he could get out of a very embarrassing situation. It's punishing him in a way that doesn't punish him. Perhaps Gomez benefits because he's taken action, and the Vatican doesn't have to reprimand him."

At Mahony's home parish in North Hollywood, there was no mention of the scandal during Mass.

As the morning sun illuminated stained glass depicting the tree of life, Father Jim Melley preached about God's goodness, mercy and the sacred heart of Jesus.

"Lord Jesus, you welcome sinners to receive forgiveness," he said before an estimated 100 parishioners within the half-century-old sanctuary. "Christ, have mercy."

Afterward, reactions were mixed about the aging cardinal who on Thursday had helped them celebrate communion.

While some understood Mahony being reluctant to turn in members of his Catholic "family" for prosecution, others were less forgiving.

"I think Mahony should not be allowed to participate in public service," said Betty Simmons, 76, of Toluca Lake, who was new to the church community. "The rest of us are punished; he should be, too. He did terrible things.

"I'm sure his conscience is killing him."

Robert Benson, who has attended St. Charles for 25 years, said the final release of church papers, and censure of the cardinal, was a healing gesture.

"At least it's honest," said Benson, 59, of North Hollywood. "It's going to take time. The hurts go deep. People heal at different levels, and some hold grudges that never go away."

Others, who have known Mahony for decades, were greatly saddened by Gomez' decision. They said they see Mahony as a sweet church leader -- and a shepherd who will be very much missed.

Alexie Offerman's 15-year-old daughter had been looking forward to her confirmation by the lanky cleric in May.

"He's a wonderful man," said Offerman, of Toluca Lake, who has known Mahony for 35 years. "I feel so bad, when I saw he was relieved of his duties. He's a warm-hearted man.

"He dedicated his life to the church, and God ... I believe (this) might shatter his heart."